Homemade Iced Tea

I've been making homemade iced tea for years and although it has always (well almost always) been good, it has taken me until this month to come up with the perfect blend of ingredients and method for ME!

After commenting on twitter that after years of trying, I had finally perfected my iced tea making abilities, I was flooded with requests for the recipe, OK, maybe not flooded, but there were some comments and requests.  (The two of you who really did ask for the recipe, I hope you feel special, getting a whole blog post!)  So, here it is!

Nicki's Perfect After Years Of Trying Homemade Iced Tea

*Note* This is an easy recipe, but not a quick process, it take a couple of hours to make the tea and several hours to chill!  

Boil 8 cups of water.

Add 12 orange pekoe tea bags.

Let sit for 1-2 hours.

Remove tea bags.

Add 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice.

Stir well until sugar dissolves.

Add 6 cups of cold water.

Chill and serve.

*If you are looking to be all fancy, you can garnish it with fresh fruit.  Strawberries, lemons, oranges, raspberries or blueberries all work well.

**If you are wanting to be REALLY fancy, serve it in a punch bowl with fresh fruit.

***If you are looking for a little kick, try adding a shot (or two!) of Peach Snapps to you glass.

Now, just because this is MY perfect iced tea, doesn't mean that it is perfect for you.  Experiment with the number of tea bags to make stronger or weaker tea.  Play with the sugar and lemon juice to get the perfect blend for your taste buds.  You can even replace some or all of the tea bags with your favourite herbal tea for a completely different iced tea experience!

Whatever you do, think of me on the next hot, humid summer day as you fill your kitchen with steam in search of your own perfect glass of iced tea.

Rainy Day Blues

"Keep your feet on the floor."

"Toys are not for throwing."

"Use your walking feet."

"Gentle hands please."

"Use your words."

"Do you need to sit on time out?"

"Use your listening ears."

"I SAID STOP!"

Over and over all day long I found myself repeating these things.  There was no end to it.  I was a broken record or skipping CD.  I was making myself want to scream almost as much as they were making me want to scream!

Sometimes it seems like they forget all the rules when we are stuck inside on rainy days.  Sometimes I wonder if they do it just to make rainy days feel like they are going to last forever.

Today was only day 2 of what looks to be not only a rainy day but a rainy WEEK!  Not sure I will have any remaining sanity by the end of it.

Anyone know of an insane asylum with an empty rubber room?  If it really does rain all week, I am going to need it!

Time Flies . . .

My goodness, I just realized, that it has been over a month since I wrote a blog post!  I wish I had some wonderfully exciting reason for why I haven't written or posted but I've got nothing!  

Life is busy, work is busy and at the end of the day, I am tired!  It seems as though when I want to write and my brain is ready to co-operate, there is no time.  When there is time I am not in the mood to write or my brain won't work with me!

It is time for me to really focus on setting aside some time specifically for me to write each week.  I have lots of stuff bouncing around in my head, begging to be written.  I have found sites with some fun writing prompts that I am eager to try.  

I need to clone myself, my clone could do the housework and I could write!!

But until then, you can follow my gardening adventures, in my gardening blog (mostly photos), My Almost Green Thumb

Toddler Talk

Liam is growing up fast, there is no doubt about that, but it is his language skills that amaze me on a daily basis.

So many of his little baby words are gone and replaced with words pronounced properly and even sentences.  He knows colours, shapes and body parts.  He loves to talk and I love to have conversations with him.

Here are a few of my favourite recent "Liam says" moments.

Mommy: "Liam, come have breakfast."

Liam: "No, need to play cars for a minute."

Daddy: (after hearing me telling Liam repeatedly to stop) "What did you do?"

Liam: (very proudly about the cat) "I pull her tail and she went away."

Liam: "Mommy, Miam a dolphin."

Mommy: "Liam's a dolphin?"

Liam: "Yes, Miam a dolphin in shuttle.  Shuttle and rockets going to moon."

Liam: "Where Daddy?"

Mommy: "Daddy's at work."

Liam: "Daddy at work in Daddy truck?"

Mommy: "Yes."

Liam: "OK, Bye bye Daddy."

He knows the names of many of his hot wheels car.  He knows corbets (corvettes), mutang (mustangs), GTTT (GT), chacher (challenger), bumbee (Bumblebee, from Transformers), and I know there a few more that I can't remember as I am really NOT a car person!

He calls his Grandma "Gabba" and his Auntie Margaret "Martie Auntie".

A few of his favourite phrases right now are"

"You stink" (When he is poopey and doesn't want to get his diaper changed.)

"Stupid Show." (Not my favourite, but it is pretty funny!)

"Read This!" (He loves books!)

"Right there!"

"All Done!"

"Stop that."

"Share!"

I could go on all day with the cute and funny things he says, but I will leave you with my favourite:

Liam: "Lu Lue Mommy."

Mommy: "Love you too Liam."

Potty Training Tuesday #14

Potty Training and Self Help Skills

Potty training time is a wonderful opportunity to work on some self help skills with your toddler.

Part of the reason you want to potty train your child is to give them more independence, so, from the beginning, you should start having our child try to do as much as possible on their own.

Have your child pull up and down their own pants.  In the beginning, they probably won't be able to get them anywhere close to all the way up.  Start by having them try and you helping as soon as they've put the effort into an attempt.  As with all new learning opportunities, give lots of encouragement and praise for success.

If your child has an accident and needs to be changed, have them try to take off the wet clothes as well as try to put on the clean clothes.

With consistent encouragement and opportunities to practice these skills, not only will your child be potty trained in the end but also able to dress him or her self.

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!

Potty Training Tuesday #13

The Beginning

Liam has finally started to show and interest in potty training.  Suddenly, about two weeks ago, he asked to sit on the potty at daycare AND actually wanted to sit!  Before this, he refused to sit on the potty.  He talked about it, said he wanted to, but when it came down to it, he refused.  But this time, he actually wanted to try.  And it continued all week.

On the weekend, we got out the potty at home.  He sat on it, playing with a spray bottle, a hair brush and brushing his teeth for a LONG time, probably close to 20 minutes!

And when he got up, the potty was full of PEE!!!!!!  We'd had our first success!  

And he was not happy about it!  He was quite upset that the potty was full of "eww!"  And even more upset that I didn't have a race car sticker to give him.  (Totally mommy fail, I know!)  So, I broke one of my own rules and gave him a lollipop!

Monday at daycare, after nap, he sat on the potty and peed again!!!

And again, he was not happy about!  He was throughly disgusted (and cried) that the potty was full of "eww!"

It's been a week now, since our two successful potty times and we haven't had anymore.  Liam does often sit on the potty at home and at daycare, but hasn't put anymore "eww" in it yet.  

He has learned (most of the time) that his penis need to be pointed into the potty.  He calls it his peenie.  And makes sure to tell all the other kids at daycare who are sitting on the potty (girls included) to put their "peenies in the poddy".

I am very please that Liam is starting to show an interest in potty training and that he has had a little bit of success.  But I am finding it harder than expected to follow my own potty training suggestions.

I am not being anywhere near as consistent as I should be with getting him to sit on the potty when we are at home.  

I am having a very hard time not insisting that he sit on it when he is resistant.

It is amazing how much harder it is when it is your own child.  And it is making me realize that I need to be a little more understanding of daycare parents.  I often push parents (politely of course!) to be more consistent at home.  I am now realizing just how difficult that can be with everything else that needs to be done after coming home from work.  I will continue to suggest consistency at home but will try to be more understanding of the people who just can't do it.

Liam has also reminded me that you NEVER, no matter how many kids you've had a hand in potty training, know what to expect.  in over 12 years of toddlers and potty training, I have NEVER had a child cry when they pee in the potty because it is "eww!"

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!

Potty Training Tuesday # 12

Taking A Break - Knowing When To Take a Potty Training Break

There often comes a point in the potty training journey where a parent or caregiver has to decide if it is worth while to continue full out potty training or if they need to step back and take a break.  

Taking a break is not a sign of failure on anyone's part.  It is just simply pausing until your child is really ready.

Just because your child has displayed the initial signs of readiness, doesn't mean that they are 100% ready to be potty trained.  

Here are some signs that it may be best for you and your child to take a break from potty training:

-You child is having very little of no success on the potty.

-He or she gets very upset by accidents

-Your child has become scared of the potty.

-He or she is showing a decreased interest.

Your child is completely oblivious to accidents.

Taking a break is not quitting or giving up.  It may be frustrating to have to take a break, but it is very common.  Many kids make numerous attempts before they really get it.

You don't necessarily need to quit completely to take a break.  You can still encourage your child to sit on the potty when you are changing their diaper and to tell you when they have to pee.  This lets the child know that even though you have taken a step backwards from underwear back to diapers, potty training is still a priority while eliminating the mess and stress of frequent accidents.

If you are taking a break due to decreased interest, you need to use your break to build up your child's interest again.  Talk about friends and family who use the potty.  Talk about wearing big boy/girl underwear.  Model using the toilet.  Anything you can think of that might boost their interest without causing a lot of pressure is good.

If you child has become afraid of the potty, take a few days to try and eliminate this fear.  Have the potty somewhere that it is visible more often.  Encourage them to sit on it, even with their clothes on.  If their fear seems to lessen with this, try to keep on potty training, if not, it is time to take a break.  Pushing a child to do something that they are afraid of can be very traumatizing.

When to start again?

Knowing when it is a good time to start again is much the same as deciding to start in the first place.  Watch for signs and take it step by step again - sitting on the potty regularly but still wearing diapers; wearing underwear/taking your child to the potty often to develop a routine and pattern; to finally having your child ask to go potty and eventually go on their own

Potty training is always more successful when it is done at the child's pace and comfort level, not yours!

Stay tuned for more tips, tricks and advice every Tuesday!  And please do share your own experiences!  I am always looking for ways to make potty training easier for myself, not only at work, but also at home as I will soon be jumping in head first to potty train Liam!